Thinking of moving to Ayrshire

moneysaver

Hi,
I am thinking of moving to Ayrshire & am looking to buy a house. I have a few areas I am interested in, Dalrymple, Doonholm, Coylton, Symington, Hollybush, Galston, Patna, Maidens & possibly Kilmarnock. I am looking for a fairly quiet location, transport links,schools etc does not matter.

I am wondering if anyone has any views on these areas I have narrowed my search down to. I would be grateful for any views on areas to avoid in Ayrshire.


Thanks
Moneysaver

54druids

We thought about moving to ayrshire and had a look around some places. Unfortunately did not look at the places you are saying but did see some very nice new builds advertised for Galston. Places I have come across which are very nice are Alloway and Doonfoot which are on the coast. Was told to stay clear of Kilmarnock as it is a bit rough but haven't been myself so I couldn't say. I was also told that East Ayrshire is more of a mining community and North and South Ayrshire are better areas but that was by an ES so they may have been trying to get a sale.In the end we gave up and have put an offer in on a house just outside Strathaven which gives us the peace and quiet we need with the advantage of a market town nearby. Good luck with your search, you have a big area to cover.

Nosht

Quite agree with the above comments.Every area has its problems nowadays so it pays to have a drive about the area & look for vandalism, grafitti, empty houses &c. Also try to find the local village hall or community centre & examine the noticeboard for lists of forthcoming events, clubs &c., this too can give a feel for an area.Regards,N.

spidystrider

moneysaver wrote: »

Hi,
I am thinking of moving to Ayrshire & am looking to buy a house. I have a few areas I am interested in, Dalrymple, Doonholm, Coylton, Symington, Hollybush, Galston, Patna, Maidens & possibly Kilmarnock. I am looking for a fairly quiet location, transport links,schools etc does not matter.

I am wondering if anyone has any views on these areas I have narrowed my search down to. I would be grateful for any views on areas to avoid in Ayrshire.


Thanks
Moneysaver

Interesting mix of towns and villages, none with very much in common. Can you tell me why you picked these? Do you know the area, do you live near by?
Symington is lovely, I lived there for three and a half years before moving to Prestwick. I wouldn't be keen on Kilmarnock, Patna or Dalrymple ( no offense meant to anyone living there )

Nosht

To answer your question, Largs is nice, peaceful, reasonable property prices, handy transport, on the sea, good shops, plenty hills & walks. Can be very busy in summer time though. Regards, N.

sweetserendipity

I used to rent in Kilmarnock, albeit briefly, & I would say it's the same as most other places ie. some nice bits & some rougher areas. We lived in an area on the Irvine side of Kilmarnock & it was nice & quiet enough.
There's also a lovely country park there with walks, animals etc.

http://www.deancastle.com/

Hubby would have been quite happy to buy in Kilmarnock (he's from North Ayrshire originally) but we ended up moving back to England.

Alloway, in South Ayrshire is lovely but expensive.

Seem to remember Symington was nice.

Recognise the names of the other places you mentioned but can't remember much about them.

Have you considered Troon or Barassie in South Ayrshire?? Both nice seaside towns. If you prefer 'countryside' I can recommend Loans, it's a lovely small village.

I could go on, but I'm getting melancholy now, would love to move back there.
Good luck with your search.

deedee71

I agree, it's a strange mix of places you have listed. I live in Mauchline which is right in the middle of Ayrshire.

Some of the places like Patna and Dalrymple are further south and don't have good transport links.

Where would you be commuting to ( or want access to larger towns)?

moneysaver

spidystrider wrote: »

Interesting mix of towns and villages, none with very much in common. Can you tell me why you picked these? Do you know the area, do you live near by?
Symington is lovely, I lived there for three and a half years before moving to Prestwick. I wouldn't be keen on Kilmarnock, Patna or Dalrymple ( no offense meant to anyone living there )

BIL lives in Alloway & due to my budget he has mentioned these places to me. We have looked at a couple of places but the houses did not suit us.

I am looking for some opinions from anyone who lives or lived in these areas, just incase BIL is wrong about them.


Moneysaver

moneysaver

deedee71 wrote: »

I agree, it's a strange mix of places you have listed. I live in Mauchline which is right in the middle of Ayrshire.

Some of the places like Patna and Dalrymple are further south and don't have good transport links.

Where would you be commuting to ( or want access to larger towns)?

I am commuting from Glasgow. I could get a transfer from my company when a vacancy arises, so I do not know how long I would commute for.


Moneysaver

spidystrider

Ayrshire is a big place. When you say you want somewhere quiet, I take it you want a small town or village location. The problem with many rural towns is lack of amenities and poor transport links. Many rural villages are also quite run down.
My niece lived in Dalrymple for about 3 years. It is quite a run down village, property is cheap but transport links aren't great. There are some seriously windy roads which are no fun to drive on in the winter. Patna is similar, but my sister in law lives there and is very happy.
I would personally base myself on the outskirts of Ayr. You will then have a large town near by where you can buy anything you need. Symington, Dundonald, Troon, Barassie, I love Prestwick which is why I live here. I would definately choose South Ayrshire if you can afford it.

54druids

My husband works in Glasgow which is why we are moving from Perth. We looked at Ayr and surrounds but actually stopped ourselves from viewing a house as we figured 50 mins from this hour which could easily advance to an hour plus in rush hour. We spoke to a couple in Stewarton and he reckoned 35-40 mins in rush hour so if the commute is a big factor this may help you. Next we looked at if the place had a shop, pub in walking distance and a leisure facility in driving distance and if it was very rural, did the nearest supermarket do online delivery? We have kids so we also took schools into consideration.